Russian geneticist ousted over sin‑genetic disease theory, ignites church's disapproval

The Ministry of Education and Science in Russia has ended its cooperation with Alexander Kudryavtsev, director of the Institute of General Genetics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, as reported by the independent Russian portal, Meduza, citing the RIA Novosti agency. The officials did not explicitly state the reasons for Kudryavtsev's dismissal.

The decision taken by the Ministry was met with disapproval from the Russian Orthodox Church. The head of the Patriarchal Commission for Family, Maternity, and Childhood Protection, Father Fiodor Lukjanov, in an interview for RIA Novosti, branded the removal of the scientist as unethical and advised the West Observer portal.

Per the clergyman, Kudryavtsev was removed because of his religious beliefs, which were not aligned with the ethical values of the scientific community. Kudryavtsev had a reputation for holding unconventional beliefs. During a conference lecture in March 2023, he claimed that people supposedly lived to be 900 years old in past times and ascribed the decrease in lifespan to "original sin." He also argued that genetic diseases have direct links with original and personal sins.

Father Fiodor Lukjanov, while advocating for the dismissed scientist's standpoint, alluded to the times of the Soviet Union. He recounted when genetics was considered pseudoscience due to disagreement with Charles Darwin's conjecture about human origin. Lukjanov noted that earnest scientists were marginalized for their dedication to the "truthful depiction of the global order," referencing the situation of the dismissed director.

Source: Meduza, West Observer